"God calls us through what happens during our day: through the suffering and happiness of the people we live with, through the human interests of our colleagues and the things that make up our family life.”
(Saint Josemaría)

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70 years in Ireland

Commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Opus Dei in Ireland.

Recent NewsOct. 4, 2017

Seventy years ago, on 4 October 1947, saw the arrival of a young Spanish engineer to Dublin. He had been asked by St Josemaria Escriva to begin the work of Opus Dei in Ireland. His arrival on a ferry to the port of Dublin saw the start of a great adventure, one that has been repeated in many countries around the world.

To commemorate that 70th anniversary, as well as the 15th anniversary of the canonisation of St Josemaria in 2002, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford Diocese celebrated a Solemn Mass in the Apparition Chapel of the Marian Shrine of Knock in Co. Mayo on 30 September. He was joined by a number of priests of the Opus Dei Prelature.

In his homily, Bishop Cullinan spoke of the historical significance of these commemorations.He quoted several lines of the homily that St Josemaria gave on the campus of the University of Navarre in 1967, later published as Passionately Loving the World , and emphasised the need for everyone to recognise their calling to holiness in the midst of the ordinary circumstances of everyday life. After the Mass, many had an opportunity to venerate a relic of St Josemaria.

It was a joyous occasion celebrated at the site of Our Lady’s appearance in 1879 to a group of local villagers. Since then, Knock has become a world-renowned place of pilgrimage with 1.5 million visitors annually.